Zaibach's Bounty
by Casa Circe
Summary: On the ides of March, we need a tale of betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

Zaibach's Bounty

 _Note: It's the Ides of March so it's time for a tale of betrayal._

 _I've had the idea for this story for ages and, as usual, no motivation to put it down. But I figured this was as good a date as any to write it and I'm pretty exciting. It's going to be a Merlandau story, that much I can reveal, and there's going to be angst. This is set several years after the end of the series and in a scenario where Dilandau is alive and separated from Celena. The rest will unfold in time. I'm going to have fun with starting this in the middle._

 _Hope the story intrigues you. Please let me know what you think._

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"The deal's off."

Merle said this with genuine conviction, but she got the sense that the man facing her was not convinced. If he was surprised by her decision, he did not show it. He simply stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

He was a thin, weasel-faced, bald man dressed in a dark cloak and with claw-like hands and gnarled fingertips. She had never liked him, not when he first contacted her about this job last year and even less now that she was telling him her final decision. His stare made her shudder and she more than ever she regretted ever deciding to have any association with such a suspicious looking character. Her instincts had warned against doing so all those months ago, but she had been too intrigued by the prospect of the mission that she had ignored them. She realized her mistake now, but she hoped she was not too late to rectify the situation.

They were meeting at a small tavern in a remote outpost. There were only a handful of patrons, none of whom seemed interested in the people around them, only concerned with their own affairs. It was a convenient location, both public but also affording some measure of privacy, an eerily appropriate venue for shady dealings. The surroundings made Merle uncomfortable but it was where they had agreed on and this encounter was necessary.

"This is rather disappointing," he said simply, "May I ask why you have decided to inform us of this change only now?"

Merle shrugged. "I've had enough time to mull it over," she said, while placing a large bag of coins on the table and pushing it towards her companion, "And I'm no longer interested. It's simply not worth the effort."

"Well, you certainly took your time about deciding," the bald man remarked.

"You never gave me a deadline," she replied, "Besides, has anyone else you recruited succeeded in finding him?"

Again, that strange, unsettling stare. "No," he replied, "and we were so hoping that you would have that honor, given your reputation. But it seems our confidence in your abilities was misplaced."

Merle bore the insult with a shrug. They both knew that she was one of the best trackers in Gaea. She was not admitting defeat, only refusing a job. She was probably the person most qualified to pull this off successfully, but she had no intention of doing so. She wished that she had put an end to this much earlier but so much had happened and she had not known then what she did now. She had not felt then what she did now.

"I am free to do as I wish," she said proudly, "I haven't spent a single coin from the money you gave me, and I apologize for wasting your time. But I am simply no longer interested in pursuing this target."

"And may I ask why?" the man asked slyly.

"My reasons are my own," Merle said curtly, hoping that she sounded more convincing than she felt.

"Of course," he said, with a hint of amusement, "though I don't think you make it a habit to refuse jobs like this. "

"There's a first time for everything."

"Indeed."

The whole conversation was making her uneasy. And since she had concluded what she had come to say, she nodded, then stood abruptly and turned to leave. The weasel-faced man made no such movement. Merle frowned as she noticed that the other customers of the tavern seemed to have left suddenly. Something didn't feel right and she readied her claws as she put a hand on the hilt of the dagger on her belt.

"Leaving so soon?" the man taunted her, "Why don't you stay and collect your reward?"

Merle turned to face him furiously. "What are you talking about?"

There was a satisfied smirk on the horrid man's face, an expression that made Merle's hairs stand on end.

"It can't be," she thought with horror.

The man turned his face to the doorway and summoned a few of his companions, another group of dark-cloaked men. They brought in another, bound tightly and with a bag over his head. But there was no doubt about his identity. The struggling figure was brought to his knees in front of the bald man and when Merle tried to run towards him, she found herself restrained by two large, hooded figures. She tried to claw at them or reach her dagger but they held her firmly and also brought her to her knees as she scowled at the bald man and then looked frantically at the other victim.

One of the ruffians removed the bag from the kneeling figure's head and Merle found herself face-to-face with Dilandau, bound and gagged and staring back at her in disbelief and confusion.

"Dilandau," Merle whispered "What are you doing here?"

"He followed you here," the bald man explained, his voice not hiding his amusement, "And then when he saw that there were certain unsavory types in the area, he probably thought you needed some assistance."

Dilandau made no attempt to speak but the situation seemed to be growing clear to him and his expression turned to realization, anger, and pain. And Merle could not bear it.

"You shouldn't have come," Merle said helplessly, "You shouldn't have come."

"Oh, but he did," the bald man continued with sinister glee, "And it made our job so much easier."

"Please, you have to believe me," Merle addressed Dilandau, trying to ignore the others around them, "I didn't mean for this to happen. You weren't supposed to get caught. I was trying to prevent that. Please, you have to believe me."

Butt in spite of her supplications, the pale man simply stared at her in anger and betrayal. The bald man watched this exchange with utter amusement.

"I must say this is a most unexpected development," he commented dryly even as Merle tearfully continued to reach out to Dilandau, "We never would have imagined that he would form an attachment to anyone. And what's even more surprising is it looks like the feeling is actually mutual."

Merle glared at him and shouted, "Just shut up and let us go!" she said angrily, knowing full well that there was no chance of this.

But Dilandau had stopped struggling and the cat-girl realized with horror that one of the cloaked figures had just injected a sedative into his system. His eyes were growing unfocused though there was still enough expression there to hurt her.

"I'll fix this, I promise," she cried out, "I won't let them take you!"

The bald man shook his head and stood up. "You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep," he said before motioning to his companions to take their captive away.

"But I must thank you for your help, however unintentional it must have been," he added insult to injury, "You have been truly instrumental in capturing him."

Those words broke Merle's heart and she turned to look at Dilandau once more, trying to reassure him that she would find a way to save him. But the last thing Merle remembered seeing before everything went black were his cold, accusing eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Zaibach's Bounty

 _Note:_

 _Happy Birthday Dilandau!_

 _Ironically, he doesn't even appear in this chapter but he still features very prominently. I'm still building up to the background of the story since I started this in the middle and I'm getting pretty excited. It's a serious Merlandau story for once and I thought it would be good to update this today to celebrate Dilandau's birthday, as is my tradition._

 _We learn a little bit more about Merle's life now and it's obviously years after the war. Another favorite character pops up, inevitably, and both try to figure out what to do about Dilandau. A bit short for now but I'm building up to the good stuff._

 _Special thanks to GuraKruor for being intrigued by this fic and to konstantya for your support (even though the other fic also interested you more.) I appreciate any feedback on my Escaflowne stories._

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When Merle finally came to, the sorcerers were long gone. But she wasted no time in setting out in their pursuit, gathering what little information she could about their whereabouts.

But sadly, there was not much to work with. There was a reason the sorcerers of Zaibach had managed to evade capture for years. They left no trace, no hint of their presence. No one could tell her about a group of mysterious, dark-cloaked men even if she was sure that they had been seen by someone. All the witnesses were either too afraid to speak or had been drugged or brainwashed in some way to prevent their remembering the sorcerers. Even with her prodigious skills at tracking missing persons, Merle had trouble finding any lead on where they had taken Dilandau.

Dilandau.

It made her sick to think that every moment she delayed finding him, Dilandau might be suffering unspeakable horrors. Despite all he had done in the past, he did not deserve to be thrown back into the jaws of the beast that had controlled his life.

He had been so successful at hiding from those monsters for years and he would have continued to live in peace and safety had it not been for her involvement. The knowledge stung her fiercely and there were moments that she despaired that she would never be able to make it right. But she could not afford to wallow in her guilt, not when ever moment was crucial to saving him.

She had never expected him to follow her. Even if he had suspected something of her, he would not have risked exposure just for confirmation of his suspicions. The sorcerer had taunted her by saying that Dilandau had intended to protect her somehow, to protect her from _them_.

And it was true that he had risked so much so it had to have been for a very compelling reason. If it was indeed out of concern for her, she was gratified and moved beyond words. But she could not dwell on what that meant, or how her feelings were thrown into even greater turmoil because of this knowledge. Now was not the time to sort such things out.

Whatever his reasons, Dilandau had followed her and then he had been captured. She owed it to him to get him out of whatever dangerous trap he had walked into.

But after days of empty leads, Merle was growing desperate. She weighed her options and frantically tried to figure out some way to seek out the sorcerers. After a sleepless night spent trying not to imagine what torture Dilandau was being subjected to, Merle realized that she could not go through with this mission alone. There was one person who could help her though.

He was in hiding himself but fortunately, Merle knew exactly where to find him.

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"Merle! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I know it's been a long time, Lord Folken," the cat-girl said in greeting, "But I'm afraid this isn't a social visit. I need your help."

The older Fanel nodded gravely and let her into his home.

She looked exhausted and desperate. The bags under her eyes told him that she hadn't slept properly for days and their redness indicated that she had been crying a great deal. For a moment Folken worried about his brother. But he knew that this could not possibly be about Van since he had just spoken to the latter the other day and the young king was perfectly all right, albeit busy with his royal duties. Besides, Merle had been away traveling for some time so it was unlikely that she had even seen Van yet.

But Folken could not imagine what else could have put Merle in such a state of agitation. Another loved one perhaps? After all, he had not seen her in years. So much surely had changed.

He had somehow survived the war and whatever curse Emperor Dornkirk had given him. His wings had remained black but as the years passed, their color gradually faded to various shades of gray. He could not be completely certain but he supposed that every act of atonement somehow lessened his chances of an early death.

Not that he was making amends simply to save his own skin. He was determined to make up for all the years in Zaibach and he was infinitely grateful that his brother had allowed him back into the latter's life. The reconciliation had come gradually and at some difficulty, of course, but it had happened. And now, Folken lived in a secluded house in Fanelia, his survival known only to a few trusted individuals. This was for his own protection as there were still problematic elements in Zaibach who were after him.

There was some trouble in the first few years, but now things had settled down significantly. Nevertheless, one could never be too careful and with a faction of the sorcerers still at large, Folken decided to lay low until he and his brother could figure out what to do next. For the most part, he lived a peaceful existence, reading and studying and occasionally giving some advice to his brother about administrative matters, advice that had initially been rejected but that was now well-received.

When he saw Merle, he sensed that this had something to do with his former "colleagues" in Zaibach but he waited for her to sit down, have a drink of water, and catch her breath. He felt his protective instincts towards cat-girls flare up and since she was family, he was gravely concerned about her. But he gave her time and space to get her bearings.

Merle sighed. "You might not even believe me about this."

"I assure you, I have an open mind," Folken replied, more curious than ever.

"Well, then," Merle said slowly, "I need you to help me find Dilandau."

As expected, Folken stared at her in astonishment. But Merle was clearly serious and he had no cause to doubt her.

"I imagine that there is a long story behind this," he remarked.

Merle nodded and began to tell it.


End file.
